Only 20 years from now, WWW was a bulk disruption on how we live, consume, search, think and act. As cycles gear up, it may be the deepest change since…the birth of printing, the “renaissance” era, or more recently, industrialisation. The Internet has created new values, new debates, new democracies, new wealth, new scarcities, new information sharing and above all, a kind of new economy. And the story could stop, steadily hold a strange balance between users and infrastructures/sites builders. In fact, the sleepiness effect of this large revolution shows us, in a short term, the worst faces of Schumpeter’s doom of innovation. The best disruption effects mean to cut off any kind of intermediation, throwing away millions of jobs, and by the way, millions of lives. If WWW brings us, technology speaking, the best of information, education and equality in the world, that efficient technology erases more than it helps us, in the short term. Do many tasks for free, sharp and straight, instead on holding man assistance.
Oh.
You probably mean that machines and technology need more and more jobs to build them. True, but probably not the same profiles than the ones fired in this giganteous turnaround. Training and recovering another job? Too old, not flexible, not relevant could you be answered.

But over all, if we stare at the revenue sharing of that economy, we could see a scarce race of “winner take it all” actors, who share their revenue with stocks’ holder more than with you. Nothing else to take a look at GAFAM’s world to see the market cap is perfectly valued with the network and the content. Me. You. Everybody who posts something, someday. The whole value of these networks is nothing else than content, freely and daily published by you an me. Former days were journalists, photographers, editors, producers, distributors, who, in their way, were doing their part of the job, truly paied for that. Now that content is free, posted, twitted, re-twitted in seconds all around the world, who pays for that? Brands. But revenues never come to your pocket, but in the digital oligarchy’s one. Charming period where some “jobs” or tasks always exist, but now are unpaid. The Free economy is obviously interesting as a citizen or a consumer, but we are also employees or economic agent, driven to work to live. And that “freeness” may be our death idol. Is Internet really the answer?

It’s no doubt that the global balance between creation and destruction is far worst than we think. And there’s still no real “huge implementation” of #AI yet…Let’s figure out when many boring tasks will be realized by bots, coding minds, automatic processes like drive, care, produce, publish, deliver…Build bots? But when bots will build bots, what’s next?

This disruption fever may drive us to schizophrenic behavior, with a global rejection of progress, protecting us from…disablation. Switch on, swith off. Someday a robot will push the button for us, to unplug us. Bye. It’s no sense leading to such issue, wasting the best of technology for humankind economic survival. We’ll be “un-revealed”, in an “un” society: unstores, unusual, unhierarchic and holacratic world. Where winner-take-it-all pleases themselve, inventing a mirror world where fashion leads to an “un-anything”. This status is now so true than ever. Value is in the “un-face” of things to unfold deepest desires and hold privacy, scarcity and exclusive vision on things (and people). They know how to cope with it, and we pay it by our blindness and trustiness.

If GAFAM make a lot of money on contents they never create, why don’t they pay the real price for this new kind of (free) suppliers that are friends, members and so long? They push more free tools than ever, to slave us, collect data and make money wherever but our side. That’s the game it seems, hard game, sometimes and in the end, mortal one. Not funny in fact, and the worst is that few have this global awareness of it. We, as human give a lot of energy to dig our own economic grave.

When WWW was built, it was nothing else than a private, closed and scientific network to share and exchange files, articles, in a steady rythm. Fair enough. From Tim Bernes-Lee’s Arpanet to Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn who created TCP/IP protocol, everything was done in a “scientific, military, professional” approach, for few users in fact. And from a couple of hundred scientifics to 2,4 billions users, let’s say there’s probably a huge gap…And the emergency to rebuild something different, from scratch or in incremental way, but reboot the system. Some say that the only IPv6 solution (eg that solutes the problem of the exponential needs for IP address) is already a titans’ work…And don’t believe it will be possible to start from zero, and recreate something more efficient.

The experts say there’s challenges that this new “web” must overcome, as:

mobility: only the network counts, as you’re mobile, you never have to be unplugged by ruptures in the different networks/rates. content everywhere, anytime, anydevice and without any interruption

resources: always find the best way with less consumption to deliver content

multilanguages: to improve the writing, characters and different signs in any language

repetition: push messages on several networks at-a-time

No need to say that facing these big issues, the former structure of Internet is not sufficient anymore. And different theories with for example, IP concepts that identified localised adress more than identity, or identify contents or services more than machines. Internet may be tomorrow a single highway more than a network of networks, which was the spirit of the begining. And has to be more “fluent” and flexible, dealing with the huge amount of datas and contents that goes every day all around the world. The future is in creating emergency roads, to double and increase the different ways to deliver datas rate, called “redondance”, and give up with old IP notion: enhance security and hold the real identity online, through a personal adress, linked to people/place (eg mobile) more than device. A very interesting journey and project, and we know it worths all over the efforts to get there.

Yes it reminds me the famous title “I love Paris” covered by so many artists (Sinatra, Fidgerald…), written by Cole Porter in 1953, and Google could make it his new hymn, to prove and show his gratitude to France. Few days after a sparkling opening of their new Googleplex in Paris, they decide to gear up their settlements in France, for all French happiness, starting by President Sarkozy himself, who visited the new European HQ. Through his European presence, covering in France with “LeWeb” wide conference and its opening, Eric Schmidt had smart opportunities to enforce and insist on French American relation, strong, passionned and built since several years, through cooperation, respect and culture integration. There’s no mystery between the two countries, rythmed by the brotherhood relations between President Obama and President Sarkozy, who gave so many proofs of collaboration, mutual respect and strong position facing the recent crisis.

Dealing with its agenda, Eric Schmidt had a short talk with fellows of French-American Foundation, on 7th of december, with many people from different horizons. A smart and warm seance with french students, entrepreneurs, citizens, allowing the audience sharing thoughts, opinions and questions with Google’s chairman. We spent a cute but short time, enjoying the sense of humour of someone who deals with lots of challenges every day, straight to the point. He underlined and justified the choice of France as a new European and Middle-east settlement because of culture, talented and skilled people and that special taste of something sometimes called “arrogance”, that keeps French alive and probably unique. As a French citizen, I can confirm but prefer a “passion” side of this character…

Mr Schmidt delivered some clues about how Google cope with the main issues he has to deal with: data privacy, creation protection, EU lawyers at Brussels ongoing affairs, mobile potential and some of the new big features, Google’s working on. He agreed with the fact they made some mistakes and must be very humble about the privacy: the “don’t be evil” quote from the ages might be a straight forward obsession, to get back to trust and loyalty. Musing all these subjects with all the following statements with:

the importance of being in France for a long time. Periods of doubt and untrustancy disappeared and i’ts time to build something stronger with the French ecosystem (schools, startups, VCs, engineering…). Trusting in the ideas system and relevancy, but saying there’s obviously a problem with “financing” ideas…in France

the challenge of globalization, where in fact they are with the sheer nature of the web itself. Passing through a nearly joke with “politics often act local while problems become global”

the increasing view and facts with mobile and smartphones that boost all the web uses and underlining apps. No, Google doesn’t plan to be a full carrier for mobile…but there’s an advanced work with the Nexus and so much more…

the fact that a company like Google changes the world, because “technology change expectations”. Consumer becomes much more clever, accurate and addicted to more services. the way it “changes” the world…

the cycles gear up now: increasing difficulty to see long term expectations and trouble relations with VCs and financial sources

the necessity of keeping that “don’t be evil” faith, beyond buzz and threats: building trust means protect from all, privacy and engagement from community

the digital fence and opportunity: freezing some industries but opening wide fields for innovation

the hard file with the “Hadopi” French exception, in a whole, plugged, wired and online world: protect the creation in a WWW more opened than ever…and punish pirats but not the tools that put, rank and organize the links to contents…“autocrats dream to turn off the internet, he said”

his three keys to success (personaly like it): Ideas, Team, Quick delivering

a shortlink to new ambitions with art and museum: Google Art Project

I spent a smart moment with a tremendous manager. One who can rock the world and lead great innovation, passion and engagement. One who could ignite the taste for entrepreneurship, leading business and mentor a whole industry, in the tracks of enlightning the way we do business. Thanks to French American Foundation for having organized this relevant session, I think I’m not the only one “liked” it.

That made my day for sure, in the way I love America, since earliest stages. Of course because of my cousin, Sean (who is a great jazz musician, a complete talented “entertainer”) and his father who died in 2008, Jimmy, who played and brought the blue note in Paris in the 50’s, and played with the best. For me, it’s definitely a family and love affair with America…

Second part now of three set, considering the effects on resources, driven by a “always-on” society, with:

dealing with HR 2.0 behaviors

ability to swap resources and change in more flexibles ways, any opportunity into a strategic purpose

what we can see in our daily lives with simple features at home: security, care, compliance, supply & information access, knowledge…

Being blinded or not aware of changes must not lead to definitive deafness to these changes: if you don’t know how the future will be, then draw it could be a better way to learn the unknown. And soon you’ll be caught with competitors, mates or neighboors who will change up your life…So don’t be late and choose to afford this incredible new twirl as your next friend.

HR puzzles with 2.0:

The story is that HR d’ont really know how to manage 2.0 because they don”t adapt their own process to such behaviors or platforms. Allow this new kind of collaboration need huge changes in organization: way to collaborate, share information, trust and be ready to “lose” at a glance, some time in prowling on social platforms. That starts with sensible things as secrecy rules in companies: who knows? Who can say and for which situations? How detect a strong reason to betray the company? How detect the bad mood and the dangerous viral spiral of silent revolution? Seems a long (now) time, since employees started to take in their own hands, their own destiny…and career. Why? Because talent management is often only a word in companies, just to feel good and appear like innovators…While turnover rises. Lots of social sites, allowing to rule and manage “people reputation” bloomed, lead by viral behaviors. Friending, linking at the speed of light make you happier than if you wait your next evaluation meeting with your busy manager, who will maybe listen (and hear) your requests…

Resources management:

Dealing with digital solutions and having a 2.0 company means a very flexible platform and mindset, at all levels: cost of work, flexibility of schedules and planning, multiskills profiles and so on. And it’s not supposed to be native and initially designed, with old models. We saw as HR are important to be stared on another point of view if companies want to succeed in transformation and exploit all the opportunities of flexibility. Now companies must fiond partners and stakeholders who can play the same game on the whole value chain, avoiding the fearing bottleneck. Tools like social platforms increase a lot tha ability to share, exchange and modify a process, on ongoing reaction and improvement, creating light sticking to core functions. And that reactivity makes a company more “time-to-market” and able to take opportunities on the long run, but with long tail targets too.

Home and life-as-usual appliances:

Having tested the whole chain of connectivity in professional environment makes you more exigeant and waiting for new things and bright applications at home. Linking all devices, wiring all the house and becoming a whole datawarehouse for the family, we all see the huge advantages for such a framework: data sharing, security, automatic warnings for intrusion, triggers, ovens piloting, freezing monitoring, and others “machine to machine” global assignments. Domotic verse 2.0 might make this huge sector rise as never done, with all abilities to connect, act and interactions that are now in fact, concrete. Easiness, care and customization allow techs learning and acceptation more possible than ever.

Creating and framing the future, but for what?

Stay tuned for the third and last part, with “outcomes/outputs driven by connectivity” on the same channel…

I was scared about French claims about web, according to new idea of taxation of…Google (or whatever search it could be). I ‘m wondering why, each time a company, a man, an idea makes money, it’s unbelievable to see what kind of jealousy it draws, and in the same time, seeing lack of innovation running…but criticize, steale or law sues. It seems like everybody is jealous about his neighbour, ready to kill to spread on his wealth.

I can’t see any reason why old skills or traditional sectors, have to complain about web, that gives us so much freedom, reduced social fracture, gave access to information all over the world and so much more. Complains from creators, authors and editors, that always search to build walls to protect their business (with sometimes and local politics agreements…), while there is so much opportunities, when they only see threats…What a pity, a lack of imagination (remember lack of imagination was the FIRST reason why the 11th of september terrorism’s attack has been possible…imagination), when imagination can make all the walls disappear, send us back hope, ideas and innovation. Does business only consist to copy, be jealous or sue competitors? Is this the only level of motivation right now?

I can’t see why music, newspapers, books, all these traditional markets, complain about the web: they didn’t while they were referenced and googled so many times, rising their notoriety for free…They didn’t while that boosted some unknow artist like never, for free. They didn’t while their “pagerank” and fame indicator was green. But now they deny the one that put them at their level. Why? Because they lack imagination, the constant key able to think of future, tomorrow, and invent their future business. They want cash for free. But they don’t want freeness. They want service for free, but want to be payed for their notoriety…that costed nothing for them.

I like Chris Anderson’s point of view, not why he wrote a book, but because his vision lives with the market: he’s clever about what’s going on, and probably what could exist tomorrow. And many of companies don’t even try to understand how disruptive they can be in the future, because they are followers, and just hope to make a good M&A with their competitor.

My shout was really about, waking up, “let’s reinvent our ability to re-learn”, to think and give value to future, not in lazying so far, but doing the necessary efforts, to value customer service, and have an award from him. What can be more pure than, rise the level of purpose and satisfaction, creating a new field of business…

Digital brings the best, digital brings the worst. Looking at storms that came on music and movies, in peer-to-peer downloading, while others tried to impose DRM, no one did the real comparison between positive effects or negative ones, on macro economics keys. Some say it could have save jobs, or created ones. Others complain about unability to move and accept such shift for employees. What we can say, for sure, is stay on facts and figures, about rise of digital behaviours, in our daily lives.

innovation is “adding something”, in use, behaviours that is waited, wished (or not), or that change the way we do, or think about things

digital brought us things we accepted (useful), others we didn’t (not relavant or too early): and that’s life, innovation is a cycle and it’s not an automatic process, it’s a part of mystery and seduction

digital is often (and unfortunately) first lived like a threat than an opportunity: because lots of industries built their business model and structured it on brick-and-mortar models, and the speed how they move is too slow (when if/they decide to…)

digital is a change of DNA for things and services, before it could be possible on humans (!);

Traditional moves and behaviours

Meanwhile digital could transform everything, old skills and industries are trying to understand what is going to change in their value chain, how they are going to manage it, and if they have interest or no, to move anything toward digital world. We all know it’s easier not to do anything vs doing something we can’t understand/afford: risk doesn’t pay first but often in a long shift. Some shareholders can’t (don’t) want such a time. But for such actors, it can be really dangerous: letting door open to new comers, that have fresh and bright ideas and can burst the value to their interests. Innovating, not too early, but not too late. Music, in its former shape, that at the time invested in distribution a lot, has been completely disorganized by the digital fact. Video and movies, trying to bring some sense in the go-between with “DRM” and “piracy”, live a real revolution of mobility, in the “anytime, anywhere, any device” triple A social move. Books finally, after being the first thing that has been shifted to digital (remember pdf forms, long time ago…), is the last stuff to come: but longer than it seems, because of the market. Those who are in the market, I mean customers, do they really need now digital books? what for? for all books formats? on which devices? answers to come, while Amazon Kindle’s DRM just been cracked…

Then digital entered the dance

We are digital. We live digital. DNA is digital. So what?
While all these things happen, did we identify what are the changes in uses we can trust, replicate and appreciate, those we can say they are innovation. Some of them for sure, but none of all…You, tomorrow, forget about all your digital devices and try to imagine your life without. Is it better or worse? Which value, attention pay you to such innovation, how do you evaluate it, what is your level of frustration? In a way, I can say I’m a geek, but not for tech, but because I’m curious, discovering new things, trying always the big picture. Enjoying innovation and design. I just ordered a new device called “chumby“. Really interested in this new kind of “all-in-one” device, portable, mobile, always wired stuff. Will it serve me, do I need it. Of course or probably, no…But it opens my mind to new ways of thinking, giving chance to brain to solve and consider differently problems and solutions. IDEO company manages this really brightly. They know how to forget what they know and start again. Discovering, being pushed and engaged with technologies. Does it need to have sense in a short term result? No. Because it’s a mindset quest. Something that disturbs our comfortable life. Something unavoidable, valuable. The ability and duty to search for more, bursting borders and conformism. And that is sufficient, for me, to move mountains and stay motivated…

What did the web and UGC?

Now we can communicate (!). More and more, between us. And that changed all. Digital period means digital behaviors and shifts from a single way communication to multi actors communities. I’ve already described how social web changed us here among several opinions in the blogosphere. Web drove modern retail to innovate, or even to think about it: some achieved, some still search. For customer’s choice, happiness and service. And UGC opened discussion and creation for everyone, by everyone. Entering in, blowing frontiers out of the limits, making anyone a anonymous speaker, creator, for web window. Do we leverage now the infinite power of digital? Look at such interactive facts that are now so natural, that we learnt to live with?

Potential escape and actors: the next value chains?

Companies, Customers and Communities: the three “C” model, where every actor has a clever role to play. Customers may take advantage of digital opportunities, by the way they probably do it yet. Because in using communities and social web, they have a large advantage in sharing and grabbing information: quick and reliable, they know how to handle. Because they are part of communities, they play a role in moderation for others new customers.

Companies must learn to play with them, not with an eye on the pocket wallet, but with a big ear, to listen what is all about and what cares for a customer: to be understood. There’s probably a concrete frustration, with the fact that disruptive innovation (from Innovator’s Dilemma by C. Christensen) could not exist: we need firms that take risk to deliver and to jump into unknown pleasures. Disruptive means invisible profits, unknown markets and needs, and uncertainty about ROI. It needs a lot of motivation to shift, for a big company, from comfortable situation to darkness. In a way, that’s nowadays our goal to convince companies to jump into 2.0 behaviors. But one thing I’m sure about, is that the revolution must be lead with all of three actors: companies, customers and communities. They are all aware about what’s going on, and can all find their tomorrow needs. Even if it’s only whispered, digital era comes with next generation Y and Z, and boost companies process, behaviors and customers needs facing their choices: going or not, refuse or go ahead, with something sometimes strange, sometimes crazy, but not boring. Shifts have to come in the next value chains for companies, and time is running out, need to change and transform their business, while they are sometimes blind with disruptive effects. Or do we want to live in a dork world, fearing of progress to come, without trying to capture the large opportunities it brings? Never mind about judge anyone, but enlightning what is already there…

Zapping was yesterday a concrete behavior, linked to our tv use. Jumping from channel to channel, an eye on remote control, the other on printed tv magazine, phenomena that exploded with arrival of satellite and cable tv, with several and diversified channels. With profusion, we had no choice to pay less attention to “carpe diem” instant, in the benefit of being champions of “more”. Last development fury and for VOD programs, prove that there is another level we just passed: holding time. The way we manage our relations is becoming a accurate exercise between, real friends, “interest” friends, randomized friends and others we could live without.
And I must admit, profusion of social web, lead to some equal behavior with so called “friends” encountered on social networks. There are even tools (machines!) to make work for you, in adding contacts you’ll never know…A kind of action, to feel someone important and being secured? not sure. Before social web, who, while reading this paper, had 2.000 real friends? who could manage with such? Yet, I didn’t find anyone, even if it was his job, with these characteristics…;-)

If social web brought ability for anyone of us to write, talk or read anything in various topics, it exists because of some who invest lots of time, to share best of the web. And if free model blew ever else model yet, it doesn’t mean that there is no value, and attention to be stared in such situation. Keeping attention and sustaining speach and sharing, doesn’t match with zapping mates, who collect friends and contacts as stickers. Some said, we can’t handle with more than 150 contacts, in a interesting and regular relationship. I know it’s really easy to have a huge audience, that can hear what you say, but is “hear” sufficient to hold a relation, that could be wealthy for everyone?

We, in fact are caught in a “hub” of information, encounterings, meetings, accelerated by technology, and in this context, high is the power of media to confuse ourself in an ocean of true/false conversations. We just have now to learn again to sort, make our mind of real kind of life, real values, real sense. Storm for the twirling RSS, won’t make us blind or deaf, if we make the effort of reflection, to value information, content and where it comes from: even if trust is an essential enlightening skill to cope with too much information, we usually and formerly now, don’t try to evaluate. 2.0 is the best way to viral any information (rumour or hoax), for free and for…fake too. Confronted with this, even if tools have risen so much, more than we can sometimes handle, man must control machine and channels: obligation is done to stare and watch what kind of receiver we want to be. Zapping is so light, too light for attention anyone must have, to warm sender, and to be a accurate receiver.

My parents did have a job for their life, I’ve myself had 5 until now, and my children are on the way to do several ones at a time…Time is running out and emergency to make the point and use the compass again to reborn and take time to think at where we go and what we do: give value, sense and aim to who we meet, and social places like blogs are great examples to give a new direction to argumentation. That’s what I try to do, for passion and attention to others, others we often can’t see for hedonism, egoism or unattention. And that’s not why there is too much networks, that we must waste relationship by zapping too fast, while there is relevant information to listen. Machine and techs not for what they ARE, but for what they DO. And fortunately we have brain and emotion, yet…